Every year during the rainy season, thousands of homeowners across the country suffer flooded basements that destroy personal property and cost a lot of money to clean up. Ironically, the best kind of basement waterproofing you can do to prevent flooding in your home has to do with exterior drain cleaning, not interior work.

Many new homeowners don’t realize that basements are drain tile dry and in-tact from a drainage system surrounding the exterior foundation of the home. These “footer drain tiles,” as they are called, move excess water away from the foundation and deposit it in a location where it won’t harm the basement.

That’s why the most effective form of basement waterproofing is actually a form of exterior drain cleaning. Most basement waterproofing problems are caused because the footers tiles become clogged with debris over the years and are not able to move the water away from the home. By performing drain cleaning on the exterior system, water is again able to move through the footers and the basement is protected from future flooding.

Drain cleaning for exterior footer tile drainage performed by the average homeowner. In order to tap into the footer drains, you need to excavate a section of the exterior of your home’s foundation. Additionally, the proper way to clean a blocked footer drain involves the use of a high-pressure water jetting system that blasts clogs out of the drains. A regular auger simply won’t work on footers.

If you’re thinking about repairing your basement waterproofing drainage system, do the smart thing and call a professional to give you a free estimate on costs. While drain cleaning for footers can be a bit pricey, it will save you plenty of money in the long run if it prevents a flood.